Part 17:Pe, Pey, or Peh verses 129-136
The 17th part is Pe or Pey or Peh, which is the seventeenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
The following information is from the website BJE:Your Jewish Journey:
“The letter PEH means ‘mouth’ in Hebrew. As symbolic of a mouth, the PEH represents the differentiating factor between humans and animals: the capacity for speech and self-expression.
The PEH alludes to the Oral law (Talmud) She Be’al PEH, and its significance in Judaism. The Oral Law was transmitted at the same time as the Torah, in the form of verbal teachings and explanations.
The letter PEH, being the seventeenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, equals the word tov (numerically calculated to mean ‘good’)” (“Peh”).
Hebrew4Christians expands on Pey, noting,
“The word Peh means “mouth” and by extension, “word”, “expression”, “vocalization”, “speech”, and “breath”. In the order of the Hebrew alphabet, Pey follows the letter ‘Ayin’, suggesting the priority of the eyes (i.e., understanding, awareness) before verbal expression (negatively, reversing this order results in “blind consumption” or mindless chatter). The chokhmah (wise one) is swift to observe and then to offer an opinion about something. ‘Ayin gives insight, but it is the peh (mouth) that gives insight expression” (“Pey”).
Works Cited
Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 119.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
“Peh”. BJE: Your Jewish Journey. NSW Board of Jewish Education, https://bje.org.au/knowledge-centre/jewish-languages/hebrew-alphabet/peh/, Accessed 21 July 2025.
“Pey”. Hebrew4Christians.com. John J. Parsons. https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_One/Aleph-Bet/Pey/pey.html, Accessed 21 July 2025.
© 2025 Angela Hormberg
We'd love to hear from you!